Who is the Wander Woman?

Before joining Novica, Catherine Ryan wrote political, cultural, travel, adventure, and celebrity articles for more than 30 magazines and newspapers in six countries, and produced international special news features for bilingual television.

Her readers have been held breathless as she wrestled out of an anaconda's unexpected embrace in the Amazon, questioned Fidel Castro in Havana, and sought out hunted rebel leaders in the Lacandon jungle of southern Mexico, including the mysterious poet-rebel Subcomandante Marcos. Readers have also savored the view from mystical Machu Picchu and other exotic ports of call as she's visited with painters and artisans who are working to preserve their traditional arts.

Ryan has explored 43 nations to date. She also serves as Novica's Vice President of Communications, and has served as a volunteer case investigator for the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law and the Centro Binacional de Derechos Humanos.

"All my life I've worked to combine my desire to promote important causes with my fascination for meeting new people and exploring new cultures, and I've always felt lucky to lead an exciting life," Ryan says. "But now, instead of just reporting on events as a traditional journalist, Novica has provided me with the opportunity - a great forum with a great audience - to actively promote real change."

As Ryan explains, by creating an online marketplace for artisans worldwide, "Novica has broken down the traditional international barriers to direct trade between individuals. Our goal is to help usher in a second, positive era of globalization that moves away from both the consolidation of the marketplace and the homogenization of culture. Novica is all about promoting artisans as individuals and increasing appreciation of all cultures - on a tremendous scale. This is what inspires us each day!"